Race, gender and science education: An ethnographic analysis of middle school science.

The underachievement of female and minority students in science is well documented. What is not well understood are the educational processes that contribute to this underachievement. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature and examine how various taken-for-granted aspects of schooling contribute to the underparticipation of female and minority students in science. I conducted an ethnographic study over a period of two years at a racially-mixed middle school. Three research strategies were adopted: non-participant observation, interviewing and analyses of documents. I subjected quantitative data to statistical analyses and coded qualitative data guided by the methods advocated for grounded theory development. I found that definitions of students' ability were socially constructed by actors in the setting. Student assignment to different classes was based not on ability alone but on an array of factors, including teacher expectations, parental demands and students' socioeconomic status. Students and parents with adequate resources were able to manipulate the school processes to serve their own interests. Due to scheduling constraints, eighth-grade science classes took on a tracked appearance, despite claims of heterogeneity. Interactions in these classes were characterized by bargains between teachers and students. Teachers' low expectations of African American students were evident in the seating patterns, the instructional strategies, and the evaluation methods employed. At the end of the school year, students registered for high-school courses. Since student choices were mediated by teachers and counselors, for many, choice was only an illusion. Consequently, a disproportionate number of qualified African American students ended up in lower-track ninth-grade courses, while several "unqualified" White students made an upward move into college-preparatory courses. This study indicates that a host of subtle social processes, operating together, have the cumulative effect of disadvantaging already disadvantaged students. In the underrepresentation of female and minority students in science, the context of schooling, the organizational structure of schooling, and the behaviors and motivations of individuals are all implicated. A comprehensive examination of these forces is necessary to enhance students' educational environment.PhDEducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/104909/1/9624565.pdfDescription of 9624565.pdf : Restricted to UM users only